breast-cancer

Early structured psychological support after breast cancer surgery doubles medication adherence rates.

Retrospective Chinese study of 318 women with stage I-III HR+ breast cancer: early structured psychological care (≥3 sessions within 3 months of surgery) was associated with significantly better 1-year endocrine therapy adherence (OR 2.15) vs. no/minimal care. Good adherence: 77% (early structured)…

Dan Manning

Dan Manning

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Early structured psychological support after breast cancer surgery doubles medication adherence rates.

Early structured psychological support after breast cancer surgery doubles medication adherence rates.

Retrospective Chinese study of 318 women with stage I-III HR+ breast cancer: early structured psychological care (≥3 sessions within 3 months of surgery) was associated with significantly better 1-year endocrine therapy adherence (OR 2.15) vs. no/minimal care. Good adherence: 77% (early structured) vs. 55.7% (no/minimal care). Trends toward better OS and DFS.

Key Findings

  • Early structured care (≥3 sessions within 3 months): OR 2.15 for good adherence
  • Good 1-year adherence: 77% (early structured) vs. 55.7% (no/minimal care)
  • Delayed/low-intensity care also improved adherence (OR 1.81)
  • Trends toward better disease-free and overall survival with early intervention
  • 318 women; median follow-up 24.1 months

Implications

Psychological support should be embedded early in routine post-surgical care for HR+ breast cancer. Improving adherence to endocrine therapy through psychological interventions has significant clinical implications.

Caveats

Retrospective single-center Chinese study; abstract-only. Selection bias likely. Survival outcomes imprecise at 24 months.

Source: Medicine — 2026-04-10

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